In June of 2008, British Columbia became the first and only Canadian province to introduce a carbon tax, and has been praised and scone by environmentalists, economists, and politicians alike, arguing whether the tax is efficient or destructive method of controlling greenhouse gas emissions. The liberal premier Gordon Campbell introduced the carbon tax; its main purpose would be to enforce a carbon tax to increase the price of consumption of fossil fuels within the province, the philosophy behind the tax was to make taxes higher on the deemed environmentally detrimental purchases and lessen the tax on the others. The carbon tax promised to achieve this in a carbon neutral way, which meant that the revenue received from the tax would be recycled to taxpayers though the reduction of other provincial taxes ("Revenue." The Province of British Columbia, 2011). The introduction of the tax was not well received by opposing political parties; the NDP party created the axe the tax campaign that targeted carbon tax and justified it as a failure. Additionally the Conservative party was opposed to the tax and regarded the tax as inefficient and dangerous, as quoting Prime Minister Harper who stated that the tax would “screw everybody”. (PM: Dion's carbon tax would 'screw everybody' - Canada - CBC News, 2008) Nevertheless the tax was still implemented. Three years have passed since the tax’s introduction and although many still argue that it is still to early to see whether or not the tax is efficient, many observations can be made that provide insight to this question.
Although it may be too early to tell if British Columbia’s carbon tax the best method of controlling greenhouse gas emissions, It would be hard to argue that the tax is a fai...
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...hazards involved in implementing it.
Works Cited
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...ther through income tax or GST, as they are all ultimate benefactors of socially optimal policy. Thus, the tax would be reinvested in benefiting Canadians.
Canada’s ability to maintain a healthy income is important, for without it, Canada’s economy would not be functional. This is where Canada’s three main exports come into play. In 2013, Canada earned 133 billion dollars in exporting Mineral products, 123 billion dollars of that coming from mineral fuels, oils, products of their distillation, bituminous substances, and mineral waxes (Ibid.). With such a booming mineral industry, Canada receives a large income from mining that can be invested in schools, jobs, public projects, and many other important areas . Also, the earnings can be devoted towards small businesses looking to expand by using government funding programs, which helps support and expand Canadian economy (Mentor Works). Overall the money is used for activities that support the Canadian economy and make numerous people’s lives better.
There are many more examples of conflicts between Trudeau's thoughts and his actions. For instance, Trudeau has always been uncomfortable with excessive state intervention in the economy. For this reason he has consistently opposed the imposition of price and income controls. But this did not stop him from deciding, in 1975, that a lack of responsibility on the part of business and labour necessitated the introduction of a controls system. Trudeau has spoken of the need for a shift of emphasis in Canadian society from consumption to conservation. And yet, he allowed energy-conservation measures in Canada to fall far behind those of the United States. More than a few times, Trudeau has insisted that it is our moral obligation as Canadians to share our wealth with poorer nations. Nevertheless, he still reduced foreign-aid spending and even put a protective quota on textile imports from developing countries. Trudeau has written about the importance of consensus in government. But again, this did not prevent him, on more than a few occasions, from entirely disregarding the consensus of his cabinet ministers on a given issue, preferring instead to make the decision on his own.
"Prime Minister Promotes Open Federalism." Prime Minister of Canada. N.p., 21 Apr. 2006. Web. 15 July 2014. .
The Green Party of Canada, also known as the GPC, is a minor Canadian federal political party that is known for preaching ecological wisdom. Founded in November of 1983 in Ottawa, GPC currently holds one seat in the House of Commons. GPC was highly motivated by observing the West German Green Party, which overcome great odds to win 27 parliamentary seats.2 Over the past several years, GPC has made remarkable strides to advance its political platform and gain a voice in the House of Commons. In 2000, GPC received only 0.8% of the votes and received zero seats in the House. However, GPC heavily improved in the 2004 federal election, winning 4.3% of the votes. After this “electoral breakthrough,” GPC earned a great deal of respect and garnered attention in the mass media.2 More importantly, by receiving 4.3% of the votes, GPC qualified for federal funding. By doing so, GPC received much-needed subsidies that would eventually play a huge role in its emergence in Canadian politics. Four years later in the 2008 federal election, GPC received 6.8% of the votes to ensure that green issues would be discussed in policy agendas of Canadian government.
Spicer, Keith. 1991. Citizen’s Forum on Canada’s Future: Report to the People and Government of
Climate and weather are similar, describing how the atmosphere behaves, the difference being the timescale (Conway, 2010). Weather is a short-term scale of temperature and precipitation, usually considering weeks or less (ibid). Climate, however, is a long term description of months or longer, describing different seasons and trends of temperature and precipitation. Climate of Vancouver is typically mild during the spring and summer and damp during the autumn and winter, and unlike other mountainous areas of British Columbia, it is not excessively cold or snowy (“Hello BC”, n.d.).
Now, sustainable development and quality of life are crucial to the well being of our nation. Thus, I have pondered many a year on this very important matter and have consulted a very knowing Canadian of my acquaintance at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The amount of natural resources in this country being usually reckoned infi...
Phillips, M. (2013). Why Canada's Oil Sands Look Like a Shaky Investment. Retrieved on December, 23, 2013 from www.carbontracker.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/kxl-FINAL-Sun-24-Nov-CLEAN-FINAL.pdf
Canada is great economic superpower that has yet to reach its potential. As the second largest nation by area, we possess vast natural resources. We are a massive importer and exporter on the world stage, who a play a vital role in the stability of the northern hemisphere. Through Canada’s international trade, we export vast quantities of many different foods stuffs, minerals and manufactured goods like cars, while we tend to import lots of Iron, Aluminum and Steel. Our relations with neighbouring nations have been integral in the success of our trade. In 1994 Canada became a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA with the US and Mexico. NAFTA reorganized Canada’s and America’s trading systems to work as one. The trade issue of recent months is about the rising costs of energy in Canada and in the United States. Newly elected President George W. Bush now is proposing a North American energy initiative for a continental power grid. This proposal puts Canada in a very uncomfortable situation. On the one hand we would love to share our resources and appease our super-power to the south. But on the other we prefer to leave our pristine land alone. The growing trend nowadays is that politicians are the ones wanting to please the Americans by giving away our resources, while it is the activist who is concerned about the vast environmental damage this energy legislation could entail.
"Salmon Farming in British Columbia PDF." The University of British Columbia| Falculty of Law. The University of British Columbia, n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2014. .
Caperton, Richard W. "A Progressive Carbon Tax Will Fight Climate Change and Stimulate the Economy." Center for American Progress. N.p., 6 Dec. 2012. Web. The Web.
Lee, P., and Timoney, K.P. (2009). Does the Alberta tar sands industry pollute? The scientific
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/>. Cooper, Richard M. Alternatives to Kyoto: the Case for a Carbon Tax. Rep. of Harvard University. Web. The Web.
Kneidel, Sally, and Sadie Kneidel. Going Green: A Wise Consumer's Guide to a Shrinking Planet. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Pub., 2008. Print.